Donald Vincent

WILSON - Donald Francis Vincent, 82, died Monday, April 4, 2011. Mass, Saturday, 11:30 AM, St Therese Catholic Church. He retired from Merrill Lynch as a financial consultant having joined the firm in 1959 retiring in 1998 as a consultant and assistant vice-president. Born on November 1, 1928, in New Bedford, MA, he was a son of Francis Thomas and Mary Calnen Vincent. The family relocated to Swannonoa in Buncombe County where he graduated from Asheville High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1950. Upon graduation, he served as a Captain in the US Air Force and later worked for Wachovia Bank. Mr. Vincent was passionate about life and very active in the community. His special interest was in theater. He performed in numerous plays at both the Tank Theater in Rocky Mount and Wilson's Playhouse where he was a founding member. In addition to acting, he directed plays and loved to sing. He was a former president of the Wilson County Mental Health Assocation, a member of the Wilson Chamber of Commerce, the Wilson Community Chorale, a former member and officer of Wilson Kiwanis and the board of the Barton College/Wilson Symphony. He served in leadership in AHEC, the N.C. Dance Theater and the ENCSD Foundation. He was a member of St Therese Church since moving to Wilson in 1960. He served on the parish advisory council as financial consultant as well as a Eucharistic minister, lector and a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus. Most importantly, he was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather. Surviving is his wife of 53 years, Theresa Paprocki Vincent; daughters, Mary Reilly and her husband, Thomas, of Ashburn, VA, and Katherine Vincent of Atlanta, GA; son, Donald Vincent, Jr, of Morristown, NJ; four grandchildren of Ashburn; sisters, Marilyn Browne (Fleming) of Asheville and Eileen Plaut (Bernard) of Cincinnati, OH; brothers, Jerome Vincent (Patrice) of Asheville; sisters-in-law, Dorothy and Irena Paprocki of Dudley, MA; a host of nieces and nephews. A brother, John Vincent of Swannanoa, predeceased him. Memorials are suggested to St Therese Catholic Church, 700 Nash St, NE, Wilson 27893, Barton/Wilson Symphony, PO Box 500, Wilson, NC 27893, or the Salvation Army, PO Box 96, Wilson 27894. A Rosary will be offered, Friday, 7 PM, Wilson Memorial Service, 2811 Fieldstream Drive, followed a time of visiting and sharing until 8:30 PM.